I'm a seasoned blogger who writes about Judaism, religion, ethnicity, race and the intersection of it all on my blog, www.blackgayjewish.com. The V-Word is about food. Healty food, kosher food, tasty food, forbidden food...with a veggie twist, maybe.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Hurricane Sandy-HELP WANTED!

Reposted from Black, Gay and Jewish
When Sandy hit I was scared. We sat in our apartment, watching
television just waiting for everything to go dark. I was sure our
windows would burst through and wanted to tape them up. We slept with a
box of matches and candles next to our bed when we finally went to bed
and tried to get some sleep. Throughout the night the gusts of wind
rattled our windows and shook the doors in their hinges, but when we
opened our eyes and looked around nothing had changed. The wind took
down a large branch in front of our apartment and leaves and twigs were
scattered along the sidewalk and street but things were fine.
We turned on our TV and still had cable and we watched the round the
clock coverage on the news. A day went by and another and we finally
decided it was safe to leave our house. We rode our bikes around our
neighborhood and witnessed many downed trees,crushing cars and homes,
the sidewalks completely disheveled from the power of the tree’s roots.
We rode through the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood where it was business
as usual-nannies pushing their charges in fancy strollers, people
shopping. We rode our bikes over the Brooklyn Bridge into lower
Manhattan and it hit me.

The River covered in oil-Photo by Erika K. Davis

There is no power in lower Manhattan-no street lights and cops
directing traffic. The sound of pumps working to get water out of
basements filled the air, the smell of gas is also in the air. We rode
down the the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel where the water reached 12 foot
high, a mile long from Manhattan to Brooklyn. And today we spent a few
hours sorting food donations, making salad, and schlepping boxes of
supplies into trucks on their way to the devastated areas of Long
Island, the Rockaways, and Coney Island with Occupy Sandy Relief.
NYC IMG Marathon is still on. This is, in my opinion, a terrible
decision made by Mayor Bloomberg. They’re operating generators to help
out the marathon, yet many people are and have been without power since
Monday. Please sign this petition asking that the IMG Marathon be postponed.
UPDATE 5:11 NBC4 is reporting that the Marathon is cancelled. No word on new date of if it’s completely cancelled.
67 people have died in the tri-state area and millions are still
going to bed in the dark and cold with expected lows at the freezing
point tonight.
The pictures today are my own. If you’re in the NYC area and able to help please do. Here are ways and places looking for help.
From Brokelyn.com
It’s been four days since Hurricane Sandy blew through, and Brooklyn is starting to mobilize again. Restaurants are re-opening, the marathon is still on (for now)
and the MTA is hobbling along, with full (though slow) bus service
restored and almost every train running on modified service (not, the G
train, of course, which remains suspended).
That being said, it’s obvious that even though we’re moving forward,
things are nowhere near back to normal. And with the weekend coming up
(or perhaps, with your giant seven-day weekend now extended to nine
days), here are some ways to start plugging in to the community. We’ll
be updating this all day, so send any tips to @Brokelyn on twitter or
tips@brokelyn.com.

Area in the Battery where people usually wait to go to Ellis Island-Photo by Erika K. Davis

RED HOOK
-Folks looking to help out in Red Hook, one of the first
neighborhoods to get hit by the flood, have a number of opportunities
that only seem to only grow more plentiful by the day. Many of the
efforts have been spearheaded by the Red Hook Initiative,
an organization dedicated to empowering communities to create their own
social change. Located at 767 Hicks St, RHI is currently good on
volunteers but is still looking for donations of pre-prepared food
(including food for children), candles, utensils such as spoons and
bowls, jugs of water, flashlights, batteries, power strips, toiletries,
paper towels, and paper for printing fliers. UPDATE:
RHI can currently use toiletries, toothpaste, batteries, toilet
paper, soft blankets (fleece, not wool) and clothes. They can be be
brought to 610 Henry till 3 PM or directly to the Miccio Center located
at 110 W 9th Street.
-Help unload supplies at RHI and the Park Slope Armory starting at 8am today (Friday). This is expected to be a massive, massive effort.
-The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition will
be cleaning up on November 3rd & 4th starting at 10am. Extra hands
are welcome, especially if those hands are holding portable generators,
long extension cords, or work lights. As many people as possible are
needed for this effort, RSVP and/or send questions to bwacinfo@aol.com.
-Red Hook Recovers is also organizing resources according to what individuals need, what they have to give, and when they can volunteer.
-For those who want to help provide sustenance but have limited
cooking bilities, hands will be needed to distribute free packaged meals
and drinking water today at Coffey Park at 85 Richards Street in Red
Hook 7:30am-12:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9am-1pm. Bring your own bag
to carry food and water.

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel-Photo by Erika K. Davis

ROCKAWAYS
-Donations collection again today (Friday) for Rockaways at Dekalb & Fort Greene Park 1-3pm. Warm clothes, canned goods, towels.
-The Meat Hook in Williamsburg is collecting supplies to serve hot
meals to those stranded in the Rockaways, some of whom haven’t eaten in
days. They’re also facilitating folks to sign up for FEMA relief. Stop
by their store at 100 Frost Street to drop off items listed here.
-Union Pool is looking for musicians, artists, and generally creatively-minded people to help put together a benefit for those in the Rockaways. Contact them with ideas at info@union-pool.com as soon as possible.
-It may not be possible to stress enough how much the Rockaways need resources. El Puente,
a community initiative dedicated to the power of self-determination,
will be collecting donations today and tomorrow at their CHE
headquarters in Williamsburg. Drop food and supplies off on Friday
10am-5pm at 289 Grand St, and Saturday 9:30am-11am at 211 South 4th St.
Bring non-perishable food, soap, shampoo, lotion,
toothpaste/toothbrushes, diapers, formula, baby wipes, warm clothing for
people of all ages, and cleaning supplies (shovels, garbage bags,
gloves, etc). If you’d like to help sort and box the donations, email stbernadetteconvent@gmail.com. Help raise funds for the families of Rockaway Park.
-The Corcoran is hosting a drive for kids displaced in two of the
hardest-hit neighborhoods in the city, Breezy Point and the Rockaways.
Clothes, diapers, and food can be dropped off at 125 7th Ave. Donations
for kids can also be dropped at Steve Levin’s Office at 410 Atlantic
Ave.
-American Legion Post 1404 at 209 Cross Bay Blvd is running out of
food VERY quickly, and neither FEMA nor the Red Cross have arrived. If
anyone can bring water, pre-cooked, quick heat,etc. food PLEASE do. (No
electricity or running water.) If you can help, please come. They
also need extra hands to sort clothes.
-If you’ve got toiletries, socks, underwear or sweatshirts, you can
drop them off at Good Co. (10 Hope Street, Williamsburg), Pour House
(7901 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge), Mullanes, (S. Elliot & Lafayette, Fort
Greene) and at 118 Freeman St. b/t Manhattan & Franklin, GreenpointKeep reading.
The UJA shared the following volunteer opportunity on their website:
Volunteers needed today to help with clean up and debris removal from
Seagate, this was one of the hardest hit areas and needs the most help.

Please go to Abraham Residence at 38-11 Surf Ave or 39-15 Neptune
Ave in Brooklyn to our low income housing site to help our seniors clean
up their homes. This was the evacuation zone and they need
a lot of man power to get back up and running. It is cold out so please
dress warm and bring a flash light (there is no power). If possible
please bring water to give out to the seniors.Drivers and cars with gas
are also needed. We need help running errands and getting supplies. If
you can bring your car please do so and help our seniors get access to
food, water and medication.Please feel free to just show up anytime
before 3pm and look for Dena. If you have questions you may call Dena at
917-592-2456. The service is spotty so please only call if absolutely
necessary and leave a message.

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About Me

Thanks for visiting my site! My name is Erika and I'm a full-spectrum, holistic doula living, working and loving in Brooklyn, NY.
When I'm not doula-ing, I'm making homemade products for Mamas and babes in my kitchen, knitting or doing yoga.
I'm a Jewish diversity advocate and have written and spoken at a variety of publications and events. I also maintain a personal blog about being a black, gay Jew.